What Matters
by Sherryn1
Summary: The ripple effect of one letter from Doubtful. Phoebe realizes what matters to her isn’t what she expected. Sometimes not taking a risk is an even bigger gamble… Takes place right after season 5's "A Witch's Tail", its an AU.


**What Matters**

_By: Sherryn1_

_Disclaimer: Come on, if I owned Charmed, do you seriously think Phoebe would be married to Coop right now?_

_Archive: You can archive this one; just make sure you keep all this intact ___

_Timeline: Immediately after the events of season 5's "A Witch's Tail" part two (except pretend Phoebe doesn't have bangs in the last scene :P)….._

_Summary: The ripple effect of one letter from Doubtful. Phoebe realizes what matters to her isn't what she expected. Sometimes not taking a risk is an even bigger gamble….._

**A Witch's Confession**

The storm continued to rage outside without mercy. Rain poured onto all sides of the house incessantly, so much so that Leo had been forced to cover the newly cut window with a sheet of plastic so that the room wouldn't flood. A crack of lightning announced the arrival of the deep rumble of thunder as Phoebe grabbed yet another pile of letters from the mounds of paper on the floor. All the billboards and interviews had done their job – generously; more and more letters were being sent by the second, and more letters answered meant even more mailed. The Mirror was thriving, and Elise was thrilled. Phoebe was more than happy to go along with it, all the work served as a wonderful distraction, even though she wasn't quite ready to admit that to herself.

She pushed a few loose strands of straight hair away from her eyes; this afternoon she'd had the bangs taken off – they didn't suit her as much as she liked to pretend. Seems like she had been doing a lot of pretending lately.

Choosing to ignore that last thought, Phoebe grabbed the first letter on the pile and ripped open the envelope. She couldn't waste any more time, her bed was covered with letters, and the clock already read 12:36 AM. Actually, no, that was a lie, she had plenty of time to waste, these letters didn't have to be answered for another few days, but still….

"Alright," Phoebe sighed. She pulled the note out of its paper prison and set it on her laptop's keyboard, which she had propped on her lap. The letter was hand-written in long, slanted, confident lines. Phoebe read….

_Dear Phoebe,_

_Recently I've met a man who I'm sure is my soul-mate. He's romantic, charming, kind – everything I've ever wanted. But there's a catch; a few years ago he was involved in some bad stuff and spent a couple of months in prison. Because of it, my family hates him. My folks and I are real close, (we're a big family) yet try as I might, I can't get them to see him the way I do. He has changed since those days, but my Catholic parents don't agree. It has gotten to the point that I'm considering breaking up with him – even though I still care about him. Is love enough to pull us through my family's disapproval?_

_Yours truly, _

_Doubtful at Dawn_

Phoebe shivered in her short silk nightgown. This one hit uncomfortably close to home; she didn't know what to say. How could she give advice to a problem she hadn't been able to solve? Phoebe straightened her back, and began choppily punching buttons on the keyboard. Her result wasn't even close to satisfying…..

_Dear Doubtful,_

_Love is like driving a car blindfolded – sooner or later you'll hit a tree. I say you jump out of it as soon as possible. A criminal is always a criminal; it won't be long before he goes back to his old ways. Besides, if your entire family hates him, then they probably see something in him that __you__ can't see. Save yourself a lot of pain and break up with him. Now._

_Phoebe_

She winced just reading her words. What happened to her? How did she get so bitter? So cold? This was neither the Phoebe Halliwell she knew nor the Phoebe Halliwell she wanted to be. This was the Phoebe Halliwell that she had seen from the future. Was this how she had gotten so resentful? She didn't wanna think about herself right now, she wanted to answer the letter so she could continue ignoring her situation.

"What do I tell you?" an exasperated Phoebe asked the blank computer screen. Unfortunately, the machine had no answer for her. With a sigh, Phoebe closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Suddenly, she straightened her head and opened her eyes for a single second before they snapped shut once again. She poised her hands over the keyboard and began typing, not knowing what her next word would be. When her fingers stopped dancing across the labeled buttons, she opened her eyes. The writing she saw on the screen surprised her beyond belief.

_Dear Doubtful, _

_Has this man given you any reason to believe that he hasn't changed? You know him better than your family does, and in the end, what you think is the only thing that matters. People do change, and this might be the case here. If you truly care for this guy, then don't let him go. Love can conquer anything if you just have faith. _

_Sincerely, _

_Phoebe_

Phoebe blinked at the response on her screen.

Another lightning bolt illuminated the sky as Phoebe Halliwell shut her laptop closed, grabbed something hanging off the chair in front of her mirror, and ran downstairs as fast as she could without waking up a pregnant Piper and a worn out Paige. She grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter and was ready to head out the door when something on the table made her pause. She examined the stapled sheets of paper lying next to the upset frame for a few seconds. With set determination, she ripped then apart and threw the pieces into the trash on her way out, not even bothering to get her jacket.

The rain drenched the white fabric of her nightgown before she had reached her car. The silver cooper gleamed in the heavy downpour but Phoebe paid no attention, she yanked open the door, threw the man's jacket onto the seat beside her, and rushed to climb in and ignite the engine. Within seconds she had pulled out the driveway and was skimming across the road at what could have easily been 50 mph, despite the wet surface of the street. She knew what she had to do, and rain was not going to pose as an obstacle.

He had been sitting there staring at the rain for almost an hour now, yet he didn't really see it. Various paperwork had been spread across his desk but he hadn't so much as glanced at it in the last hour. Only one thought ran through Cole Turner's mind over and over and over again.

_She gave up. _

They had been through a hell of a lot in the last two years, but this was the first time she had actually given up. Their problems had always some-how related to evil, never was it about either of their devotion. Had he not been drowning in misery, he would have smiled at the thought of how naïve they had been to convince themselves that love could conquer everything. Now it seemed he was the only one rooting for a cause even he found hard to believe in. _She had given _up. Phoebe Halliwell had whispered vows of ever-lasting love into his ears, she had yelled curses straight into his face, but not once had she looked him in the eye and told him _she didn't care_.

What were her words exactly? Oh, yeah "it doesn't change anything. It doesn't matter". There was a time when love meant everything; it was the only thing that mattered. But now….

He had done that to her. He was the reason. And every time anyone, whether it be Darryl or Paige, or even Phoebe, mentioned the Source, a new wave of pain washed over him. He had failed, he should have fought the Source and he failed. Blue eyes moved toward the ground. Love hadn't been enough.

_Ding!_ The penthouse elevator doors slid sleekly open to reveal the face that haunted his dreams. Nothing could have described the surprise he felt at that moment.

"Phoebe!" he exclaimed, turning around to face her fully. Her hair was completely soaked, her wet negligee clung to her body tightly, and her face glistened with water droplets. She held something in her hand. She stepped out of the elevator and held the object out to him.

"I forgot to give you your jacket back this morning. "She explained irreverently. 'Right', Phoebe thought 'I drove across town in the middle of the night in the pouring rain to give you an item of clothing'. He hesitated before responding. His jaw hung open for a few seconds before he spoke. She had expected some careless comment to match her own, she did not expect to see the pain in his eyes when he looked away and curtly ordered;

"You made your feelings clear today. Unless you have something else to say, I suggest you lea-"

"I was wrong."

He quickly twisted his head to face her once again. 'Am I dreaming?' She dropped the jacket and repeated once again "I was wrong" before running into his arms. Her lips pressed against his in a longing kiss. Her arms circled him, one around his waist the other around his neck. Her body boldly pressed against his until she finally broke for air. Up to this point he had been some-what unresponsive, 'Had he changed his mind? Doesn't he want me anymore?' As she pulled back, he looked into chocolate brown eyes and saw confusion, sincerity, and to his surprise, love. His arms quickly wound around her waist, pressing her even closer to him. His lips once again found hers. Smiling she deepened the kiss. It was he that broke free first.

"Are you sure you want this, Phoebe, because if you don't…"

"I want this, I've always wanted this. It's just, I've been scared…" she replied quickly, not careful enough with her words. He pulled back a bit, stung. Was it possible she really was scared of him?

"Of what?" he questioned, a bit more harshly than he meant to. She matched his tone with her own, albeit more emotional, less angry.

"Of it all getting shot to hell again!" His features immediately softened. He stepped closer and his hand moved to caress her cheek. She pressed it closer with her own and looked away as she elaborated. "I couldn't live through it if something else happened," her eyes met his as she quoted herself, "but I can't live without in my life".

That did it for him.

The kiss was passionate, fiery. Her back pushed against the wall. Hard. Her legs wound around his waist as she began tugging at his shirt. Between intense kisses and desperate gasps for air, he helped her pull it off, but when her hands moved down towards the buckle on his belt, he grabbed her wrists and roughly pressed her arms against the wall. His mouth moved down her neck while his strong upper body kept her positioned against the wall. She didn't mind, at least that's what her satisfied shrieks suggested.

Quickly, so she wouldn't slide down the wall, his hands moved under her thighs while her arms immediately flew around his neck, feeling the rippling muscles of his back. She held onto him tightly while his arms moved from under her thighs and smoothly slid under her silk negligee. Soon a moan of pleasure escaped from her mouth.

How did she last so long without him?

A gentle breeze toyed with Phoebe's hair. She now stood on the balcony at the penthouse wearing one of his buttoned shirts. This one was a navy blue. He was asleep. She didn't blame him, especially after his little work out last night, several little work-outs actually…..

The mischievous smile disappeared from her features quickly as she sobered. Explanations would be due at the manor. But that didn't matter right now. All that mattered is that she was with the man she loved more than anyone in the world. Even though she was risking crumbling if it all fell apart, but it was worth the risk. Question is, would she think the same if everything actually did fall apart. Phoebe was counting on never having to know the answer to that. But as two strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, Phoebe knew the she had given the right advice to Doubtful…. Love _can_ conquer anything.

Come on, say it, "Awweeee….."

Ok, so, I set this up as a chapter story, but I'm considering keeping it a one-shot. What do you think? If it is continued, next chapter will mostly be about Piper and Leo; I plan on making this more of an alternative season 5 rather than just focusing it on p/c. That is, of course, if you guys want. I could stop right now and let you think up what happens next…. Either way, send me a review and tell me what you think….tempting isn't it? You know you want to…….

Btw, did anybody catch what the papers she ripped up were? Anyone who guesses the answer gets a sneak peak of what happens next….. Watching the episode helps hint, hint.


End file.
